By Any Other Name
by Ladyrock18
Summary: basically the same story only set in manga-verse  meaning hes not a twin and no rosemary subplot  No like no read. Told from Francis's point of view, and occasionally Nadja's
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The First Encounter

It seemed like it would be an ordinary night for Francis Harcourt. Well, if you count having previously snuck out of your mansion to ride to London ordinary. He was thinking back on how it had seemed more difficult leaving tonight than his in his previous excursions. Perhaps his father suspected something? The thoughts of worried looks on the faces of his father and aunt sent a pang of guilt to his conscience. However, his beliefs prevailed and he would continue on. Francis, or as he was known by some, as the Phantom Thief Black Rose, was seen as a champion to the poor and a threat to the wealthy. The oath his mother taught him, _noblesse oblige,_ gave him all the courage he needed. It was his duty to give to the poor in whatever way he could. Be it through traditional charity or stealing from those who had obtained their wealth dishonestly, he dedicated himself to the cause.

Francis was pulled out of his memories by a far off scream. He looked up and saw billowing smoke in the distance. He immediately rode towards it, trying to stay on the path for the sake of the horse. Another scream but this time to the left of the burning building. Francis veered towards the nearby woods and came upon three figures illuminated in the moonlight. The screams had come from a young girl has was being held down by two men dressed in black. He saw what they were after, an ornate brooch with a ring inside. As he went to pick it up the thieves charged him, but they were quickly dispatched with two well aimed blows to the back. He continued undisturbed, and replaced the brooch onto the girl's bow. "I'm so s-scared", she stammered in tears. Francis tried to comfort her by gently kissing her cheek. Getting her attention, he told her "You must never part with this brooch." She nodded slightly before her legs gave way underneath her. Realizing she was no longer safe, he briefly racked his brain before remembering that he had seen the Dandelion Troupe's Carrier Car not too far from where they were. As Francis approached, an old woman, Ana that had been sitting outside asked, "My, what is this?" He and Ana had become good friends, as both were travelers. Ana allowed Francis to take the girl inside with a remark on the "wheels of fate" beginning to turn.

Deciding to leave before his presence was made known to the villagers, Francis whistled for his horse and rode of into the night, leaving the young girl, Nadja to dream about the starry-eyed knight.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Midnight Streets

"Yaahhhh!"

A woman's scream rang out through the night only to be drowned out by the bell tolls of Big Ben tower.

"It's the Black Rose! The Black Rose has stolen my jewels!" The woman seemed half-mad as she dissolved into tears, desperately seeking help from those around her. She found no sympathy in Francis, however. He ran through the streets of London, clad all in black with a mask on his face. The way he saw it, those who took advantage of the poor and used their wealth for their own gain deserved to have everything taken from them. He had left his calling card in the now empty jewelry case and heard the clatter of police horses coming after him. Hm, _Good luck _was all he thought. No one, not even his family, had ever caught him. He remembered a conversation he had with his father the previous day,

"_Those the Black Rose targets lose everything, their status, their allies, and their sense of security." Duke Harcourt said, looking out the window. _

_ "Father," Francis replied, "I heard he only targets those who have done wrong with their wealth and have harmed the less fortunate."_

_ "That's no excuse not to be concerned! I doubt he would hesitate stealing from anyone, including this house!"_

_ This gave Francis cause to be concerned, "Father, have you done anything that would be considered wrong and unfair?" _

_The Duke went pale. He turned away from the window and tried to stammer an answer, but was quickly rescued when a maid came in announcing his sister had come for a visit._

Francis was reminded of his father's fear and apprehension, imagining how he would react if he knew the Black Rose had been standing right in front of him, his own son. Unforgivable sin didn't even_ begin_ to cover it.

"_Francis, all people are equal, no matter their background."_

His mother's words floated though his head. His mother too, had been dedicated to helping the less fortunate, often making donations and visiting children in local orphanages. If she were still alive would he have gone off the rails like this and instead do as she did? _No_, his mother died without setting a foot out of London and her dreams to see the world never came true. He may have had to lie to everyone he knew and cared for, but he had his freedom and his ways, though _unorthodox_ to say the least, helped people.

The police were getting closer. He turned down an alleyway and into another part of the town. They would probably turn the corner soon, so he made his way down the street over the rooftops.

"Yipe!"

A girl's voice yelped as Francis landed kneeling on the street in front of her.

"What the…"

He looked up at the owner of the voice and his eyes widened in shock. It was her, the same girl he had rescued the previous night! What was she doing here? He had left her in the care of Ana in the carrier car of the performer's troupe. Why was she wondering the streets of London on a night like this?

"You're…You're the Black Rose!"

She stammered, pointing at him. The police were closing in so he

was about to leave when over her shoulder, he saw the two thieves who had been trying to steal her brooch!

"_You've got to be kidding me_" he thought. She was on the verge of screaming, so he put a hand over her mouth and pulled her into the nearby alley. Fortunately, the duo had gone in the opposite direction. And the police were riding past them without seeing.

"You're too young to be running around this late, kid. " Francis said, using a slightly mocking tone to hide his emotions. It worked, because the girl pulled away from him angrily.

"That's so rude! What made you say that all of a sudden?"

" There are a lot of bad people on the streets late at night. You should be more careful."

"That's crazy, since you ARE a bad guy, STUPID!"

She yelled that after him as he took off down the alley. Francis was too startled by their encounter to reply. _"She was being chased by them. Police was chasing me. It's almost as if….."_

"_Your destinies are linked to one another. The wheels of Fate are beginning to turn."_

Ana had been confident in her prediction, and made it sound as though he would see the girl again. True he thought about her quite a bit since last night, but didn't necessarily think they would see each other. What if…

"_No way, that's…..it's a bad idea"_

Francis tried to push the thought out of his mind. What are the chances of this happening again? She was just a girl, who would probably never set foot outside London. Meanwhile, he would by day travel about giving donations, while by night traveling all over Europe being the "The Commoner's Hero." What did destiny have to do with that?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

One, Two, Three

"I've had enough of this Francis!" His Father's voice boomed over the balcony. "Why can't you follow protocol?"

Tonight the Harcourt mansion was hosting a charity ball. This meant that Francis was _supposed_ to please people in order to get them to donate to an impoverished Russian hospital. However, Francis had once again refused to dance with the usual young socialite, which was what had set his father off. His aunt was there too, muttering about how obvious he made his dislike for the ballroom was. True, he had only been in there for ten minutes before feeling absolutely suffocated. The ladies he had rejected had been spreading a rumor that he couldn't dance to save his life. While this lifted the burden of being asked to off his shoulders, his father complained it would "harm his reputation in the nobles' circle." The lecture was already about halfway over before-

"And not only that, but where did you go last night?"

Francis looked up in shock, and this didn't go unnoticed by his father.

"What makes you think I-"?

"There's no use lying, somebody saw you leave the grounds at midnight last night."

So he had become careless after all. He only managed to mumble something about a case of mistaken identity before he turning away to leave. His father mumbled something about breaking rules and the sake of the family name before returning to his most important guests. Francis sighed.

_You don't know the half of it, _he thought. Thoroughly sick of the atmosphere in the ballroom, he went out the balcony doors onto the terrace. This balcony in particular looked out onto his mother's rose garden and its' rotunda. Francis was actually a little relieved usually in a lecture his mother was brought up. Something along the lines of "_What would your mother think if she knew…."_. Hm, his father seemed to only mention her when it was convenient for him.

"_Dance is an enjoyable thing, Francis, " she had said when she first taught him the waltz._

_ "One, Two, Three, _

_One, Two, Three,_

_One Two, Three"_

A movement in the garden caught his eye. He looked down and saw a figure twirling around the rose bushes. As he made his way down to investigate he saw that it was a young woman dancing by herself next to the rotunda. She was timing her steps, chanting,

"One, Two, Three

One, Two, Three

_One, Two, Three_"

"You", Francis called, trying to get her attention. She turned, but it was too dark to see her face. It didn't matter though, because when a bit of moonlight reflected off her brooch, he knew exactly who she was.

"_Ana's probably laughing at me right now." _He thought, though not begrudgingly.

He watched as the girl ran behind one of the rotunda's pillars.

"Why are you hiding?" he asked

She stammered back

"I'm sorry, I'm n-not a guest at this party."

"It's alright, I'm not one of the guards."

"Y-You're not?"

"No," Francis sighed. "I'm.. just the black sheep in a herd of people who do nothing but flatter each other for their own gain." He leaned against a pillar opposite the one she was behind.

"Why were you dancing here all by yourself?"

"The waltz was so pretty I thought it would be fun." She replied, still behind the pillar.

"Huh, That's what my mother used to say."

"Your mother?"

"She was warm and loving, she passed away when I was eight." Why was Francis telling her this?

"Were you very sad?"

"I was, but she left me with a lot of memories. What about your mother?" Too late he realized it was a stupid question, seeing as how she had been in an _orphanage_.

"I don't remember her, I was raised in an orphanage. But recently, I found out she might still be alive somewhere. And… I'm going to try my best to find her."

He was surprised at her optimism. "I'm sure you will" was all he could say. "and when you do , you can make new memories."

"You know", she went on "this is the first time I've seen such a splendid mansion. At first I thought this was all marvelous, but then I was thinking how different a world this is from the one I know."

"That's not true at all," Francis replied rather sharply. "Whether you're an aristocrat or a commoner, no matter your wealth or education, none of it has to do with a person's worth. In the end, all that matters is how a person chooses to live their life each day….. at least that's what my mum told me."

Both of them laughed at that before lapsing into silence. Then they could hear the music change from inside the ballroom. Francis was tired of hiding, so he quietly went over to where the pillar where the girl sat in the shadows. He knelt down in front of her and held out his hand,

"Miss, will you please dance with me?"

He took the surprised look on her face as a sign she recognized him and, after a brief hesitation, took his offered hand and stood up. They began to dance a waltz around the garden. Francis couldn't believe it. This was no street encounter or random rescue mission, this time she had come to him!

"I'm Francis Harcourt, what is your name?"

"Nadja, Nadja Applefield"

A strange first name, Francis thought. She probably hadn't been born in England.

"Thank you for that night…" She began timidly

"That night?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

Nadja looked up at him surprised, "But…" She as interrupted by a butler hurrying toward him.

"Sir, the discussion for the next charity project."

"I see, please excuse me." He said before handing Nadja a rose. "Until next time, Nadja."

Before she could reply Ana appeared and told her it was time to go and hurried her out of the garden. Francis made his way back inside, he image of Nadja's smile still fresh in his mind. It would be a bad idea if anyone knew it had been him who saved her. Whoever was after her might try to trace her whereabouts through him. In spite of that threat, he still hoped to see her again, and he hoped it would be soon.

_I personally feel this chapter was much better than the first two. Comments are welcome, whether about the writing or the story. I am open to plot suggestions. Thank you and please do review._


End file.
